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Tech News - February 2006
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Fall back in love with
your PC
By Jeremy Robertson |
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I hear everyday that a customers computer is slow or just don't
perform like it did when it was new. Now if your computer is more
then 3 years old then nothing you do will make it perform like new.
You might ask why, well Programs that come out after the release of
your pc, only get more demanding. For example require more memory,
or processor to run. With all the new spyware programs, adware
programs, and freeware that installs and runs in the background,
your computer doesn't stand a chance. Norton 2006 is a great
anti-virus but every year it takes up more and more precious resources
with no end in site. Parts are getting harder to find for older
pc's. My opinion is truly if your pc is 3yrs. or older it is time to
think about a new unit. The average life expectancy of a computer
that is custom built is generally 3 to 4 years, and a proprietary
unit is more like 1 to 2 years, because they use parts that are not generally
upgradeable.
DON'T GET DOWN HEARTED!!!! We can fix it. or there are some
things you can do at home to fix the problems you have. Start by
downloading and running Microsoft Antispy. This will detect and
remove a lot of these programs from your computer freeing up all the
resources they use. Then go one step further. Do you use weather bug,
or Kodak easy share, remove them from the startup. You can still use
the program but it will not be running in the background. If you're
still not happy you can usually add Ram. Ram (Random Access Memory)
is basically temporary memory where programs store information in queue
for the processor. Freeing up and adding Ram will increase the speed
of your pc. How can you tell if your computer has stuff running in
the background is look in the task bar.
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The more you have here the less Ram you have available!!!
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Also use Crtl-Alt-Del to bring up your task manager, This tells you
a lot about your computer. The first tab shows you all the
applications that you are currently running. The second tab shows
all the processes running in the background. And finally the third
tab shows the system performance in real time. |
Notice the physical memory in the upper left hand corner, This shows
you the amount of ram you have installed in your computer, how much
is being used, and how much is left for you to run programs under
windows. |
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Now I know that some of these cannot be helped and some don't hurt
at all. The speaker icon is only a shortcut and holds no program in
ram, but Norton, Kodak, Hp, ect. all have stuff that run down there
and cleaning that up as much as possible will help.
To keep your pc running smooth there are some simple things you
can do like keep a current copy of an antivirus with all the latest
updates, keep your Anti-Spy program updated, And try to stay away
from downloading free programs like weather bug, scenic screen
savers, wall paper changers, ect. These programs are kinda neat and
have some appeal but they are bundled with adware, that causes
pop-ups and run in the background and slow down your computer. |
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Something else you can do is Keep a good back up of your data, and
format your pc once a year. This will keep your OS (operating
system) in great working order. Now of course you'll have to
reinstall all your programs and data, so I don't recommend this for
everybody, just the ones who have tried all else and can't find
satisfaction. So I hope this article helps!!
Jeremy M. Robertson
Senior Technician
The Computer Generation Inc. |
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